Things got interesting last night for the state’s gubernatorial candidates as they debated their stances on a variety of social issues. For the most part, the candidates agreed on many things, such as the need for comprehensive sex education. Highlights include General Treasurer Frank Caprio relating his story of facing teenage parenthood when he was a high school senior (“I was a teenage father,” Caprio, a Democrat who favors abortion rights, said) and Victor Moffitt making things awkward by criticizing the “Big Brother” aspects of the national health-care overhaul (apparently the audience, composed mostly of 400 women, was not amused). The candidates didn’t stop there, though — they debated the economy this morning.

The push to legalize marijuana in Rhode Island, or at least decriminalize it, moved forward yesterday at the State House. A Senate committee heard testimony from both sides of the debate, and by the end of the hearing the opinions of Governor Carcieri, Attorney General Lynch and the state police all had their opinions known either through personal testimony or via letter. For the record, Carcieri wrote in his letter that he thinks substance abuse should be taken seriously — and that includes marijuana — but he stopped short of threatening to veto the bill if it makes it to his desk.

State lawmakers are considering legislation that would overturn a 1944 law that seals the birth records of all adopted children in the state. Though such a law would not make all records for adults born in Rhode Island available, proponents say it will give adoptees access to their own familial and genetic information. Though the legislation has the approval of adoptees and their supporters, opponents worry the legislation would jeopardize the privacy of birth mothers and adoptive families.

Federal prosecutors have been called in to help state police investigate Central Falls Mayor Charles M. Moreau, a move intended to counter perceptions of a conflict of interest on the part of Patrick Lynch ’87, the state’s attorney general and a Democratic gubernatorial candidate.  The mayor is accused of contracting a friend to renovate old homes while allowing the contractor to install a furnace in his own home.  The Central Falls mayor and Attorney General Lynch have known each other since they were kids, having met when they played in the same Pawtucket basketball league.

A second-grader who pulled a knife on a classmate was suspended indefinitely on Monday.  The student, who attends Kizirian Elementary School, allegedly wielded the knife while asking an 8 year-old boy in her class for money.

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank has a new catchphrase: “nothing.”  The non-profit is launching a new campaign to garner younger donors and volunteers while attracting attention to the organization, which focuses on addressing hunger and poverty issues in Rhode Island.  The food bank wants to sell 40,000 empty cans around the state and then for people to return the cans filled with money as a donation to the organization.

Immigration reform activists rallied on the steps of the State House on Saturday after spending the day marching through Providence’s neighborhoods and calling for legislation that would reform immigration on a national level. (Go here for a video of the State House rally.)

The ProJo is running a series this week that follows the lives of students, teachers, parents, and dropouts at Central Falls High School. Part One in today’s paper (written by Brown’s Visiting Lecturer in English Tom Mooney) follows Antonio Cruz as he goes from high school dropout to poet-rapper all while trying to earn his GED from the Blackstone Valley Community Action Program.

Rhode Island College will honor four people with honorary degrees at the school’s commencement ceremonies later this month. Those honored include Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble founder Frank Battisti, Rhode Island Monthly Communications owner John Palumbo, and House Speaker Gordon Fox.

Mayor Cicilline proposed a $639 million budget on Friday that calls for no increases in taxes. The budget is 3.5% costlier than this year’s and is slightly less than 2009′s $618 million budget. While property tax revenue is expected to stay stagnant, spending will likely increase by $21 million due to the higher cost of Providence’s debt payments, increased health and pension costs and wage increases for unionized workers.

The Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island has been caring for injured and abandoned wildlife since 1994. Located in Saunderstown, RI, the clinic is the only facility of its kind in the state. Check out the Projo’s video for adorable animals and the important work of the rescuers who care for them.

Zombies were out in full force Friday night, terrifying pedestrians, drivers and others on College Hill. April 30th marked the 4th annual Zombie Night, an event staged by RISD students looking to harness their artistic talents to impersonate the undead.

Rhode Island’s own Deborah Gist — the state’s education commissioner — was named as one of Time’s top 100 most influential people of the year. Listed as one of the “Thinkers,” Gist was named because of how she has been handling the fallout of the Central Falls High School firings.

The state’s Republican party welcomed the Log Cabin Republicans, a group consisting of gay and lesbian conservatives, as a new caucus on Wednesday. Though Republican candidate for governor John Robitaille, who spoke at the event, has opposed same-sex marriage laws in the past, he said he welcomed the group to the GOP and expressed an interest in making civil unions available.

A Providence businessman is hoping that the city and state will, in the midst of its highway relocation project that is shaking up the Jewelry District, consider establishing a museum that would pay tribute to the neighborhood’s history as an industrial center. But neither the city nor the state are considering something of the sort at the moment, officials say.

The Interior Department’s approval of Cape Wind, an offshore wind project that will be located between Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, may stall that Rhode Island’s own wind energy ambitions for the time being.  The new project will likely bring economic benefits to the Ocean State, however, thanks to plans to build the wind turbines at the Quonset Business Park in North Kingston. And the Cape Wind project will be a boost to alternative energy development in New England and the country, experts say.

Amber Rose Johnson, a junior at Classical High School in Providence, won the national Poetry Out Loud competition in Washington D.C. on Tuesday night. Johnson took home a $20,000 prize after beating eight competitors in the final round. Johnson said she will save the money for college–Brown maybe?

It’s been two weeks since the state Senate rejected a supplemental budget passed by the House, an unusual move that flouted a 30 year precedent of the House having final control of the state’s money matters. Rhode Island still has a $220 million budget deficit that needs to be filled–a gap that could balloon by over $20 million if the General Assembly fails to reach a consensus in the next two days.

Immigrant activists in Rhode Island are calling for a boycott of Arizona in the wake of the state’s new law that would allow police to detain anyone they suspected of being an illegal immigrant. These Rhode Island activists are planning protests on May 1, International Workers’ Day, against the law “so that it doesn’t become law in Rhode Island,” Committee of Immigrants in Action Head Juan Garcia said.

The Warwick City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Monday that would require all pit bulls and related breeds in the city to be spayed or neutered unless they are owned by licensed breeders. The proposal still needs to go through second passage, but although the American Kennel Club has spoken out against any measure that targets specific breeds, the director of the Warwick Animal Shelter supports the proposal because she hopes it will lead to fewer abandoned pit bulls. Other cities in the state, like Pawtucket and Central Falls, have banned pit bulls altogether.

A poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports shows Rhode Island gubernatorial candidates Lincoln Chafee and Frank Caprio as “dead even” in the race. Each has the support of 33 percent of likely voters. Chafee’s numbers have dropped; a month ago, he led Caprio by 11 points.

The Projo calls it “a vision for a new Providence.” Brown’s new medical school campus broke ground yesterday in Providence’s Jewelry District at an event attended by 300, including President Simmons, Governor Carcieri and Mayor Cicilline.  Check out the Herald’s coverage in today’s paper.

Central Falls High School, which garnered national attention when all of its teachers were fired in February, is now rehiring. The 93 teachers and staff who were let go earlier this year can reapply for their jobs, a message stated in a letter sent by School Supt. Frances Gallo. According to the “turnaround model” approved by state education officials, however, at most 50% of fired teachers can be rehired.

Mayor Cicilline’s recycling initiative–known as “Green Up Providence”–has doubled the city’s recycling rate and saved $50,000 each month on trash fees. Started in September, the program requires Providence residents to put out at least one recycling bin in order to have their trash collected. Unfortunately, the mandate also led to trash pile-ups in some neighborhoods where people were reluctant to recycle (even leading some residents to express concerns about rats!)

Four people from Rhode Island and three from Massachusetts have been charged with robbing seven banks in Rhode Island and attempted robbery of an eighth one. All the incidents involved presenting notes to bank tellers that demanded money or simply asking for it; no weapons were involved.

The ProJo also has an article about Brown’s investigation of the school’s historical involvement in the slave trade, mentioning possible projects being considered like a memorial and a center for the study of the slave trade.

According to a Brown-led study, some hospitals in Rhode Island and the surrounding area commonly use feeding tubes for Alzheimer and dementia patients despite research indicating that they provide few benefits to the patients.

A 14 year old girl is accused of stabbing her mother after she took away the girl’s phone for “sexting.” The girl allegedly stabbed her mother with a kitchen knife, leaving her in critical condition, and was later found in the family’s basement talking on her phone.

While Brown students were droppin’ it like it’s hot yesterday, dedicated science students from across the state competed in the the 2010 Rhode Island Science Olympiad. The event was held at Rhode Island College and was attended by about 600 high school and middle school students who designed bridges, mini-cars and catapults.

Providence teachers may face an additional 3% cut in their salaries as the School Committee tries to close a projected $2.5 million budget shortfall this year. The committee will also likely vote on whether to reduce the paychecks of 29 administrators by 5% at its May 10 meeting. The move for additional cost reduction comes after teacher pay and benefits were already slashed last year.